Peer to Peer Magazine

37 WWW.ILTANET.ORG Lost In The Fog FEATURES Cost is always a primary consideration when contemplating cloud solutions. IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS -- nobody rides for free. However the trend is consistent: as technology progresses, the cost become less prohibitive. There is also the cost benefit of offloading administrative tasks, including updates and upgrades, to service providers. The value of security and stability have become more transparent. Finally, we are seeing adoption of cloud based services increase. Within the last year, there has been a substantial increase in expenditures on cloud solutions. The reasoning for cloud is secure, but the challenges are not diminished. The Art of the Cloud Even with the right motivation, successful implementation of cloud solutions can be nebulous. Firms that have been slow to adopt can rush towards neoteric technology, without succinct reasoning. It is essential for firms to understand their data, users, and client's requirements to effectively implement cloud solutions. That's where the art of the cloud exists. What's right for the needs of my wife's practice may not be right for my firm, or for you. It should go without saying that not everything is a nail. Just because a cloud solution exists, doesn't mean it's going to fit the needs of your firm. And just because someone else is doing it, doesn't mean you have to too. Doing cloud correctly requires a holistic approach to the firm's environment. The foundation for moving to any cloud solution should begin with a unified strategy for all firm data, which is like saying the first step is jumping off a cliff. It is critical to take the time to have discussions across your organization to comprehend requirements. Does your firm need data archives or a full Document Management System (DMS)? Does one solution really meet all your finance requisites? What key functionality of the soware will be a priority for your users? A major consideration should be the usability for firm personnel and clients. If the features and interface are not intuitive, adoption can be crushed. Although there is a Utopian concept of selecting a single cloud provider that meets all your needs, different providers have different strengths and expertise. And different firms, practice groups, and clients will have different needs. It can be beneficial to select several best in class providers, commonly known as multi-cloud solutions. However, this can be confusing for users who don't understand which solution to use for which purpose. And it can be challenging for administrators, who may not have the expertise across multiple platforms. This may necessitate a firm to acquire additional staff or supplementary staff to accommodate the sprawl of cloud applications. Having a unified strategy becomes critical for successful multi-cloud approaches. An additional consideration for multi-cloud, is working towards a unified search and singular access interface across multiple platforms. Users desire the simplicity of searching from their intranet to locate a client agreement in DMS and then leap to an expense report application. Integrating discrete systems in a way that is seamless and intuitive for users is very much an art form, which requires a deep comprehension your firm's needs. Have the Conversation It always begins with a conversation with members of your firm, or your spouse, about the best way to accomplish crucial tasks. Within those conversations it is essential to listen to the concerns and understand the user's perspective to gain the understanding of firm's needs and requirements. Knowing your firm's needs is essential to evaluating cloud solutions. Concerns about cloud solutions haven't changed at the pace that cloud solutions have evolved. The uncertainty of adoption, cost, and administration have ebbed but are still measured. The reality is technology solutions are being pushed to the soware as a service model and the balance has shied from concerns such as cost towards the advantages of cloud solutions, such as remote access, reliability, and security. Our greatest challenge is still clearing the fog of uncertainty that surrounds cloud solutions. We have to become beer at communicating the value and benefit of cloud solutions. I'd argue that communication is the avant-garde art form for moving to the cloud. Until I've mastered it, I'll still have a drawer full of flash drives. P2P The reality is technology solutions are being pushed to the software as a service model and the balance has shifted from concerns such as cost towards the advantages of cloud solutions, such as remote access, reliability, and security.

• Cover